Article Sidebar

Share this Story: Sending love across the metres: Mother's Day during COVID-19

Trending

Article content

A long-awaited visit, in person, created a new Mother’s Day memory for Gail Hordal and her mom, Alice Soldan.

Soldan, 95, lives at Canterbury Court, an assisted living home in Edmonton’s west end. Like many seniors’ facilities, it has been locked down for six weeks with no visitors allowed. Family members have been restricted to making phone or video calls, or waving through the window if a resident was lucky enough to live on the main floor.

Sending love across the metres: Mother's Day during COVID-19Back to video

But as health restrictions ease slightly across the province, some seniors are getting more access to loved ones.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Hordal, who was able to arrange an outdoor visit with her mom and sister to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Soldan received a big bunch of flowers, a family album, and lots of love, all while keeping two metres away from her daughters. Two of her great-granddaughters, during a separate visit, were scheduled to perform a violin concert through Soldan’s window.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

Across Edmonton, physical distance remained the guiding principle this Mother’s Day, as families got creative to honour the matriarchs in their midst with driveway visits, and non-traditional, take-out restaurant brunches.

Daana Downey, whose son is chef Scott Downey of The Butternut Tree, was the beneficiary of her son’s talent in the form of a boxed high tea. Usually, she goes to Mother’s Day brunch at the Butternut Tree, where she gets to see her son, even if he’s working. But this weekend, Scott put together a delicious assortment of brioche buns and handmade tartlets for his mom — and others — to pick up.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

Chef Downey sold nearly 300 Mother’s Day take-out high teas — triple what he expected to sell at the curbside in front of the Oliver-area restaurant throughout the weekend.

Daana will also collect a second high tea box and take it to Fort Saskatchewan, where her mother, Phyllis Graham, 87, lives in a seniors’ residence. Rules, which vary among facilities, don’t permit Daana and her mom to eat together, but Graham has invited someone from within her residence to enjoy her grandson’s handiwork, too.

Downey said it was “disappointing” not to be able to spend in-person time with her mom.

“But the reality is that this is where we are at, and you have to do the little things that you can, and talk to each other from afar. We have to make the best of what we have.”

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

That practical perspective was echoed by Anita McDonald, co-owner of the family-run, north-end greenhouse, Kuhlmann’s. This Mother’s Day, as every Mother’s Day, McDonald will be working. The upside is that both her mother, Elizabeth Kuhlmann, 79, and her daughter, Linda McDonald, 29, may well be on site, too, scrambling to fill orders for other families.

Flower sales are way up this year, said McDonald, with many orders coming in online for delivery and curbside pickup.

“The messages read ‘wish we could be together,’ between mothers and daughters, and sister-to-sister,” she said.

Danielle Nadema, manager at Fabloomosity, says their bouquet business is two to three times busier this Mother’s Day compared to last.

“We are way busier than ever because people are staying away from direct contact so as to keep everybody safe and healthy,” said Nadema.

For Gail Hodal, the Mother’s Day visit was a relief. Earlier this week, she was communicating with Soldan through a window, when her mom said: “Gail, I am so tired.”

“It really hit me hard. I had a good cry,” said Hodal. “And then the next day, they said we could come and take her for a walk. We’re all so happy for that. The whole family.”

Share this article in your social network

Share this Story: Sending love across the metres: Mother's Day during COVID-19

Trending

Related Stories

This Week in Flyers

Article Comments

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

Notice for the Postmedia Network

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.